The present invention relates to a method and a device for cooling soldered printed circuit board modules in a cooling zone of a soldering system, wherein a gas is used to cool the soldered printed circuit board modules. Use of the method according to the invention and the device according to the invention in reflow soldering systems and/or wave soldering systems is preferred.
Soldering systems for soldering printed circuit board modules conventionally have a preheating zone, a soldering zone and a cooling zone. In the preheating zone, the components to be soldered are heated to a temperature just below the melting temperature of the solder, and in the soldering zone the temperature is raised to or above the melting temperature of the solder. In the cooling zone, cooling of the soldered printed circuit board modules takes place. Conventionally, the printed circuit board modules are passed successively through the individual zones.
In the cooling zone, cooling systems which are based on mechanical cooling and cold transmission by means of a coolant are conventionally used. Such cooling systems, which are operated for example with cooling water, are very energy-intensive to operate and not very efficient, and are therefore cost-intensive. In particular, the lack of energy efficiency is also disadvantageous in view of the resulting additional burden on the environment.
On the basis of this, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a device for cooling soldered printed circuit board modules, by which the disadvantages known from the prior art are at least partially overcome.
These objects are achieved by the independent claims. The respective dependent claims related to advantageous refinements.
Advantageous refinements are also provided by features disclosed in the description or in the figures, which may be combined with one another and with features from the claims in any technologically appropriate manner.